Owner opens coffee house doors to artists
Elaine Rising is creating a buzz in Valleyford, both with her espresso and her art gallery.
“I love art in all manifestations,” she said. “It’s an expression of humanity.”
She set up her shop, On Sacred Grounds, at 12212 E. Palouse Highway in a 10-by-42-foot modular building out of which she sells coffee and snacks. Inside, art is displayed on the walls and crafters sell their wares. Seating is available and there are shelves of used books to flip through.
On Sacred Grounds serves as a touchstone for area residents and artists. Rising has lived in Valleyford for 10 years and decided that the many talented artists in the area deserved their own gallery, small as it may be.
Rising opened her business about six months ago and she has already had some art shows, including Reta Gilbert’s “Mixed-media Items from a Collector’s Attic,” and photographs by Andrea Laam. The next show, Wednesday through Jan. 8, will be work by Tom Kliewer.
Kliewer, 52, is a multimedia artist who works in oil paint, photography, collage and pastels. He enjoys country living in Tekoa, which is reflected in his art.
“My subject matters are local … everyday life in the country,” he said. “I did my best to embrace abstract art and eventually realized that all art is an abstraction of a perceived reality, and stopped worrying about it. The lights of the pickup shining across bales of hay in a midnight snowstorm and a brave sparrow both qualify as worthy subject matter.”
In 1977, Kliewer graduated from the University of Idaho with a bachelor’s of fine arts degree. Recently he stopped working to stay home with his daughter and create art.
In the past, he has shown in Wallace and in galleries in Spokane. He also shows and sells his work in a theater/gallery in Tekoa and has a sales representative in New Mexico. His goal is to make a decent living by reproducing his work on greeting cards.
“May e-mail never completely replace the solid love and reassurance of a card sent by one who cares enough to write and post their sentiments to another by mail,” he said.
After Kliewer’s show, Rising will be hosting a Valleyford amateur art show Jan. 10 through Feb. 7. Adults and students are encouraged to apply. So far, one adult and three students have entered. The adult, Janet Adams, spent years designing signs in Las Vegas. She will be showing her oil painting “January Depression.”
The three students are Aly Doloughan, 9, her brother Nolan, 5, and Zeke Flack, 12.
All three enjoy making art and are happy to share it with others.